Wonderland
by rennomiya
Summary: There was a rumor about a website that sucks in human souls once opened. Len, who hopes to save his friend, Mikuo, who got sucked in the website too, entered the site himself. There, he meets a mysterious girl named Rin... RinLen. Noncest
1. Entrance

"_Last night in downtown Tokyo, another "Wonderland" victim had been reported by the victim's family. The victim's name is Luka Megurine. The local police believe that it was yet again another curious teenager who had accessed the cursed website since she was found lifelessly next to her laptop with the Wonderland's webpage. The victim's mother cries for justice for her daughter. Meanwhile, the government said that they are still looking for the creator of the said website. The government warns everyone all over the world to…"_

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><p><strong>.<strong>

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**WONDERLAND**

By: rennomiya

**Book 1: Ace of Spades**

**Chapter 1: Entrance**

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><p>"Man, that website's really starting to freak me out…" a young man with blonde hair tied into a high ponytail said as he watched the local news in his television from the kitchen. "The only thing all those mysterious fainted teenagers have in common is that they've accessed Wonderland's website. I wonder if it's a really cursed site or something…"<p>

"Yeah…" his companion, a boy with teal hair, replied with a bored look. He was sitting on the couch watching the news in boredom as he waits for his blonde friend, Kagamine Len, to finish cooking his dinner.

"It's kinda unbelievable though… that Wonderland rumor."

"Maybe it's a cult thing. You know? Like Heaven's Gate," Len said.

"Yeah. Maybe when they access the website a weird, hypnotic thing pops out and stuff," Mikuo said.

"By the way, Mikuo," Len said as he turned the stove off, his eyes showing slight irritation, "Why are you in my house again?"

"No reason. Just wanted someone to cook for me, duh," Mikuo answered as he yawned and rested his back on the couch. His eyes watched the T.V with unreadable eyes. It featured the victim who was sent to the hospital.

"I'm not your servant, in case you've forgotten," Len dully answered and prepared two plates in the dining table.

"Yep, I've forgotten," Mikuo teased, earning a growl from the blue-eyed blonde in the dining area. He stood up from the couch and turned the T.V off. He walked towards the dining table and sat down. He watched Len as he pours down curry from the pot to the plates he set on the table. "Uhm… Len…"

"Yes, I've put your stupid leeks in the curry. I don't know how it'll taste though. It's gross," Len said before Mikuo could finish his sentence.

Mikuo grinned. "Thanks, man. And by the way, my leeks ARE NOT gross! It's good!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Len said as he finished pouring the curry to their plates. He placed the pot of curry back into the stove and sat down across Mikuo in the dining table. Then, they began eating. "Oh yeah, about the news regarding Wonderland…"

"What about it?" Mikuo asked uninterestedly. He placed a spoonful of curry in his mouth.

"What's that site again?" Len asked.

"Why? You're interested? You plan on accessing it?" Mikuo asked, his eyes still bored.

"No… just curious is all…" Len answered, his eyes suddenly showing sadness.

Mikuo noticed his friend's sudden change in mood. "www. wonderland. com," he answered.

The rumor had begun in their school three weeks ago. They said that there was this website that could grant anyone's wish, much like how the Jigoku Shoujo works, except there won't be any girl coming to you to negotiate revenge with you. This website, www. wonderland. com, doesn't work only at midnight. It works 24/7. But there's a catch. Not everyone could access it unless the person accessing it has excessive amount of desire to have their wish granted.

There were a few who managed to access it. One of them told the media about his adventures in wonderland and how great it was. And to top it off, he got his wish granted. Because of this person, many people tried to access the website. But these people have been reported in a case of coma since accessing the site.

Everyone was confused on why there was only one person who got back from wonderland. They tried to look for this person again but he cannot be found anywhere anymore.

Len believed that Wonderland was only a trick. He believes that it was created by a mythical creature who traps souls into his lair and feed on them. And that person who told the media about it is one of the mythical creature's henchman. Together, they try to trick people into accessing Wonderland so that they could feed on their souls…

But he also thinks that he was being overly dramatic about it. '_I've got such a creative imagination…' _he thought to himself and smiled pathetically.

"Whoops, sorry Len, better hurry up…" Mikuo suddenly said and began eating his food in a fast pace. "I better visit Rin-chan at the hospital before it closes…"

"Oh… I see… Uhm… well okay then," Len said as he watched Mikuo finish his meal in a flash, took his jacket and went out of his house.

Rin is Mikuo's childhood friend. Len had never met this girl before but Mikuo had told him a lot about this girl. Mikuo said that Rin looks almost exactly like Len, except the girl version. She has a white ribbon on her head that makes her look like a bunny. And she wears white clips to keep her bangs from her face. They have the same last name but they were both sure that they are not related to each other. Otherwise, he'd know.

Rin also has an incurable disease. She has a very weak body and can't walk. Because of that, she's at the hospital most of her life. Len also knows that Mikuo is in love with Rin, and sometimes teases him about it.

Truth be told, the only reason why Mikuo befriended Len at school is because he reminds him of Rin greatly. Len isn't bothered by it though. In fact, he was grateful to have Mikuo as his best friend.

He sighed to himself as he is once again alone in his house. He took their used plates and dropped them on the sink. His parents are rarely home because of their frequent business trips and he is kind of used to it. He's got Mikuo to accompany him after all. Though he will never admit that he likes Mikuo's company ever.

He went to his room and lied down on his bed. It was summer vacation and he's got nothing to do. He already finished his summer homework so there wasn't really anything he has in mind to do.

Kagamine Len had always been marked as the average kid in class. His academic standing and personality were average to the point where he was considered just another face in the crowd. He had a good relationship with everyone in the class and had his own group of friends. He chitchats, he smiles, he laughs, he gets sad, and he gets mad like a normal person. The feeling of belongingness was there. There was no abnormality in his daily routine.

Waking up. Eating breakfast. Going to school. Hanging out with friends. Going home. Eating supper. Doing homework. Going to bed. And the cycle repeats again.

Every single day it was the same.

And to be honest, the blonde boy couldn't ask for more. He was contented; happy, even. There wasn't any feeling of boredom or anxiety with the same happenings over and over again. All he wanted was for things to remain the same. Even his boring summer vacation.

He looked at the ceiling, thinking of random things. Then, he turned his head slightly to the side to see his laptop on top of his table.

He sighed and decided to surf the net for a while before going to sleep.

He opened his laptop and googled the new anime show he had discovered yesterday.

After a few hours of searching random things in the internet, he decided to turn it off and go to bed.

Except… something in his mind suddenly told him not to close it yet.

He gulped. He suddenly remembered Wonderland. Is what happening to the ones who accessed it really true? He knew he shouldn't be curious… but for some reason… he was…

He clicked on the address bar and began typing…

… www.

The laptop's light reflected on his eyes. He was slightly sweating.

… wonderland.

Should he really do it? What if he got his soul sucked into the world of cyberspace?

com…

Yeah, like that's ever going to happen. The victims were probably just fatigued, that's why they fainted. And they were all coincidentally surfing on Wonderland's website.

He pressed 'enter'.

The little searching circle went on and he got connected to Wonderland.

He gulped nervously. Will he faint too just like all those victims?

Then, Len was greeted by the words 'cannot access the website'. He felt relieved. He relaxed his back on the chair's backrest and laughed at himself. Wonderland _is _a rumor! Everyone was just scaring people by fainting or pretending to be in a comma.

With that done, he turned his laptop off and went to bed.

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><p>"Luka followed after Gakupo, just as what we planned," a mysterious person said to a girl sleeping on the hospital bed. It was midnight and the only light that supplied them was from the moon.<p>

The mysterious person scanned the girl. There were a lot of tubes connected to her and the only sound that can be heard in the room was from the beeping of some of the machines that surrounded her.

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><p>The next morning, Len woke up to the sounds of his beeping alarm clock. Why did he turn it on again? There was no school…<p>

He turned the annoying alarm off and sat on his bed. He lazily scanned his room, still half-asleep. Then, he noticed his phone. He got a mail.

He flipped his yellow phone open and found that he got a text message from Mikuo. He opened it and read the message.

'_Come to my house as soon as you wake up.'_

Len groaned. Mikuo could be irritating and too bossy sometimes. He wanted to ask why but then he knew that Mikuo will just say not to question him and just come just as he wanted.

He stood up lazily from his bed and took a quick shower. He grabbed a banana from the fruit basket in the kitchen and began eating it. After that, off he went to his annoying friend's house.

When he arrived there, he rang the doorbell. But after a few minutes, no one still answered. He scratched his head in annoyance and decided to come in anyway. Good thing the door wasn't locked.

"Mikuo? Hey, Mikuo it's me. Where are you?" he asked the empty living room.

He decided to climb up the stairs and go inside Mikuo's room. He opened the door and found a sleeping Mikuo next to his open laptop. The laptop displayed a site he had never seen before. He walked towards Mikuo and began shaking him. "Mikuo… Hey, Mikuo wake up!" He continued shaking Mikuo until the teal-haired man dropped on the ground. Len started to panic.

He began shaking Mikuo to wake him up again, but to no avail, his friend continued on showing no hints of waking up. He looked up to the laptop and its displayed webpage. He looked at the address bar and read it…

www. wonderland. com

Len's blue eyes widened in fear and shock.

What the hell? Did Mikuo access the site and fainted afterwards? But he just accessed it last night and nothing happened! Then, he remembered something. Wonderland can only be accessed once the person has a wish that he truly desires to be granted. Did Mikuo have a wish that he really wanted to be granted so badly?

He looked at Mikuo again. The lifeless form of Mikuo continued on greeting him.

"M-Mikuo…" he stuttered.

Wonderland… is real…

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><p>There wasn't anyone in Mikuo's house so he can't ask for anyone's help. He just laid down Mikuo on his bed and he immediately turned to his friend's laptop. There were a lot of his schoolmates who had been reported in a state of comma for the past few weeks but none of them were close to him so he didn't pay that much attention. But now, his best friend's a victim! He can't just sit there and do nothing. Mikuo looked as if he's only sleeping, except he just won't wake up.<p>

What should he do?

He tried refreshing the website again, but it just showed that it cannot be accessed again.

He needed to have a wish to access it!

"I wish Mikuo would come back. I wish Mikuo would come back," he chanted repeatedly as he continued on pressing the 'refresh' button. But again, to no avail, it won't let him in.

He began trembling, having negative thoughts enter his mind. What if Mikuo would never wake up again?

He opened his phone and began dialing another friend's number, hoping it would calm him down. He put the phone on his ear when he heard the person on the other line answering it.

"_Hello? Len?_" the familiar voice of his friend Kaito answered.

"KAITO!" Len practically yelled. "L-Listen, I'm at Mikuo's place and I found him dead at his room. Then I saw his laptop and saw that he—"

"_Wait! M-Mikuo's DEAD?_" Kaito asked fearfully at the other end of the line.

"What? No! He's not yet dead… he looks like he's just sleeping but he won't wake up!" Len answered in panic.

"_Did you try to wave a leek in front of him?_" Kaito asked, half-joking half-serious.

"YES!" Len answered.

Now, that's bad. If Mikuo didn't wake up after waving a leek in front of him, then it really must mean that something bad happened to him!

"_O-Okay, listen… Have you found anything suspicious in his room? Like drugs or something? Not that I'm accusing Mikuo a drug addict, I just—"_

"He accessed the cursed website of Wonderland," Len replied. "But I can't access it. I tried to but it won't let me in!"

"_W-Wonderland? That ridiculous rumor in the internet? That's just a way of scaring people. Wonderland's not real. It's just a myth. I tried it once and it said that the site doesn't exist," _Kaito said.

"Yeah, that's what I believed too…" Len announced sadly, then his eyes narrowed, "But I'm serious. Wonderland is real! It's not just something to joke about! It took Mikuo away!"

"_Len, maybe Mikuo's just tired or spent the whole night watching porn. That's why he fell asleep—" _Kaito was cut off again.

"Look, I've checked his browser's history and I've found no porn. The only thing that he looked up yesterday was this s-stupid Wonderland website that I CAN'T ACCESS!" Len answered as he checked Mikuo's browser's history again. "You've got to help me! I don't know what to do! Mikuo's family isn't home and their phone line's cut off!"

"_Fine! I'll be right there in fifteen minutes. Wait for me," _Kaito said and ended the call.

"Hurry!" Len yelled after Kaito ended the phone.

He turned back to the laptop again and began refreshing the site. What if Mikuo dies? Did Wonderland really take him? Oh god, he was panicking. That's pretty rare of him. His wasn't used to this kind of abnormal routine in his average life! And why Mikuo of all people?

"Mikuo… wake up…" he muttered and continued on refreshing the website.

He got irritated after fifteen minutes when Kaito still hasn't arrived yet. He opened another tab in the browser and googled, "How to access the Wonderland website?"

He got some site showing how to access it but they were all just saying to have a wish you wanted granted so badly.

He tried to calm himself down again.

He gathered all of his courage and said, "Please, I want Mikuo to wake up again." It was what he really wanted at that moment.

Then, as he pressed the 'refresh' button, it successfully showed the website.

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><p>"Damn, stupid traffic…" Kaito muttered on the bus. He stared outside the window and silently prayed that Mikuo was fine and he was just joking around.<p>

Then, he caught a glimpse of his favorite ice cream shop having a sale on one of his favorite ice cream flavors. He instinctually pressed the 'stop' button on the bus and walked towards the ice cream shop, drooling and walking like a zombie.

"Mmm… Ice cream…"

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><p>Kagamine Len stared at the site. His mind paused. As far as he knew, he kept on accessing it for the past hour, but failing miserably and now, he was staring at the website and not the words 'cannot access' anymore…<p>

Does that mean he had successfully accessed it? How?

He remembered about wanting to have Mikuo back so badly… Is that really what it takes to access the site? To have a wish to be granted so badly?

In the site were a few words. It said "Welcome to the world of Wonderland! Please type your wish on the tab below. By clicking enter, you can have your wish granted. By clicking cancel, you will be unable to access this site anymore."

"Sounds suspicious…" Len whispered to himself. He looked at the lifeless body of Mikuo again. He gulped and began typing…

"I want," he began typing. Then, he saw that a list of suggestions opened, meaning that Mikuo had really been there and typed something before. The suggestion was "I want Kagamine Rin to be happy".

Kagamine Rin? Oh, that's right. She was Mikuo's friend. So does that mean that Mikuo accessed wonderland to grant Rin happiness? He ignored the suggestion and continued typing, "I want Hatsune Mikuo to wake up again".

He placed the pointer to the 'enter' button. Now, all he needed was a simple click and then who knows what will happen next?

He admits, he's pretty nervous. What if he ends up lifeless too just like what happened to Mikuo and all those other teenagers that accessed the site? Will he be featured on the news too? What would happen? Will he be able to go back to the real world?

Then, he remembered Kaito. If something happens to him, then he was sure that Kaito would do anything he can to help him and Mikuo go back. But first…

He took a paper from Mikuo table and began writing on it. "If we are found lifeless right now, please do not try to access the site of Wonderland. There maybe another way to make us go back. We are probably stuck in Wonderland until then."

There, he wrote a warning. That way, people won't try to do the stupid thing he might do right now.

He left the note right beside the laptop and went back to the site. The pointer was still on the 'enter' button. One click and he'll find out everything.

His heart began beating faster. He was still nervous.

Then, he reminisced the good times he spent with Mikuo and Kaito. No matter what, he really needed to have Mikuo back. And if he also gets stuck in Wonderland, then he could count on Kaito to find out how to get them back.

His forefinger twitched. He tightened his grip on the mouse. One click and he'll know.

One click…

Just one

Simple

Click…

_Click_

Oh crap, he clicked it.

The website suddenly changed and it showed 'loading'.

Crappy-crap-crap.

Wonderland's loading…

What will happen to him?

The loading finished and Len prepared for the worse.

Suddenly, the room was surrounded with light. The laptop's screen glowed and it showed nothing in the room but pure white.

When the light faded, it revealed a fainted Len who dropped on the ground lifelessly.

To be continued.

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><p>AN: That concludes my very first Vocaloid fic here in FFN. Hope you guys liked it :)

Next time would be Rin encountering Len ;) Stay tuned!

Vocaloid © Crypton/Yamaha/Whatever


	2. Alice

_Ding… Ding… Ding…_

_The sound that's similar to that of a grandfather clock entered his ears. His consciousness was slowly getting to him. He opened his eyes and saw that he was floating. _

_Ding… Ding… Ding…_

_In front of him was a large Clock Tower. It says it was already 12… noon or midnight? He had no idea. He was in a black space with only him and the tower visible. Everything else was black._

_Ding… Ding… Ding…_

_Then, emerging from the clock was a girl. Her bangs were covering her eyes. She was hugging a rabbit plushie with red goggles on its head. The girl slowly began floating towards him. Len backed away slowly, feeling intimidated by this weird girl floating with him._

_Ding… Ding… Ding…_

_The girl smiled. She floated closer to him and stretched out an arm and cupped one side of his face with her right hand. Len gulped. "Who are you?"_

_She opened her mouth, and with her surprisingly angelic voice, she spoke, "I've finally found you…"_

_Then, the rabbit plushie suddenly moved, freaking him even more. The rabbit grinned creepily; its eyes looking at him with mockery._

"… _Alice…" the girl holding the rabbit continued._

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**WONDERLAND**

By: rennomiya

**Book 1: Ace of Spades**

**Chapter 2: Alice**

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><p>Len eyes quickly opened, revealing his fluttered blue eyes. He raised his hand up to his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart. He was sweating all over. What was that <em>nightmare <em>about? What the hell was that, seriously? Who the hell was that girl? And what was up with the creepy rabbit doll?

His mind processed every single detail of his nightmare first before finally registering that he was not anywhere he was familiar with. He looked around his surroundings. He was inside a long narrow hallway with silky-white marble walls and black and white checkered tiled floors. He sat up, placing his hand that was previously on his chest to his aching head—which he just felt right now.

"Where am I?" Len asked himself, his voice echoing throughout the seemingly endless hallway. He looked up to the arched ceiling with gothic-designed pillars supporting it. He began remembering everything he had done prior to waking up in that weird place. He was sucked inside that website called Wonderland.

"You're in Wonderland," an unfamiliar voice said. Len turned his head back to see whose voice was that. He could only gape when he saw a rabbit doll lying on the ground. His face turned curious. Where did that rabbit come from? He stood up and walked towards the rabbit. He outstretched his arm and grabbed the doll, inspecting it.

"Where did this thing come from…?" Len asked as he stared at the rabbit once more. Then, he realized that there was a pair of red goggles on top of the rabbit's head, just in the middle of its long ears. He suddenly threw the rabbit away when he realized that it looked like the rabbit doll in his dreams.

The doll landed on the floor, bouncing a bit before staying still again.

"The hell-!" Len said in fright. He kept staring at the unmoving doll, nervously anticipating something to happen. The doll _was _pretty creepy in his nightmare. And after what seems like an eternity to him, the doll began moving. Its hand slowly reached inside its clothes' pocket after it stood up. A golden pocket watch was revealed from inside the doll's pocket.

"Oh gosh, I'm late!" the rabbit suddenly declared after looking at the watch. It jumped around in panic and began hopping away from him, turning into a corner.

Len remained staring at nothingness. He was too busy trying to let everything sink in. First, he wakes up at an unknown place, then he sees a talking rabbit doll who's late for something.

"Wait a minute… this sequencing… the white rabbit… this weird place… Am I in Wonderland?" Len whispered to himself. According to Lewis Caroll's _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_, Alice follows the rabbit into a rabbit hole and fell into Wonderland.

"If I follow that rabbit, will I be able to get into Wonderland?" Len asked himself as he began running towards where the rabbit went off to. He ran around the corner and saw a glimpse of the same rabbit turning around another corner.

"W-WAIT!" Len yelled to the rabbit. He fastened his pace to catch up to the rabbit. But the same thing happened. When he turns around the corner, he would see the rabbit turning around another corner. "I said wait!" Len yelled once more. He fastened his pace once more as he turned around another corner.

But then he stopped when he saw that the rabbit was nowhere to be found. "Crap, I lost him!" He gritted his teeth and tightened his fist. Then, he saw the rabbit hopping on another hallway through a golden-framed mirror (window) hanging on the wall beside him. "T-There it is!" Len yelled and tried to get to the same hallway where he saw the rabbit.

Then, when he thought that he was in the hallway where the rabbit went to, he only saw a room full of stairs coming from different directions; ceiling, walls, floors, another stair, doors—just literally coming from anywhere.

Then, he saw the hopping rabbit getting down on an upside-down stair that emerged from the ceiling. The stair had a red carpet on the middle, where the rabbit was hopping on to.

"There you are! Wait! I need to talk to you!" Len yelled towards the rabbit, who only ignored him and continued on getting towards where he was supposed to go to.

"Damn it! I said WAIT!" Len yelled once more and stepped on the same staircase where the rabbit was. He gasped in shock when his world suddenly turned upside down. So now, the once upside down was now downside up and the once downside up was now upside down.

"What a twisted world…" Len muttered and continued running after the rabbit.

The staircase led him towards a normal-sized door within a gigantic wooden door carved with different aesthetic designs. There was also an opened small door within the normal-size door, and so he assumed that the white rabbit just entered there. He entered through the normal-sized door and inside it was a dark room with a huge window with golden carved railings and red curtains.

He took a moment to observe the place first before seeing in his peripheral vision a bouncing rabbit coming from behind him. "What the-! You were hopping ahead of me! How did you get behind me?" he asked the rabbit who only just ignored him and continued on hopping away.

"Gumi… there you are," a voice said behind the darkness of the room.

He squinted to see who it was. He slightly saw the rabbit hopping towards that person and stopped in front of her. The girl slightly bends to the ground to get the rabbit.

The girl seemed to have noticed him and so she remained motionless after she carried the rabbit in her arms. "... And who might you be?" the girl asked him in monotone.

"Uh… L-Len. Kagamine Len…" he answered involuntarily.

"I see. And you followed Gumi here…" she said. She began walking closer to him. The light coming from outside the window illuminates her as she stepped in parallel to the huge window.

Len's cheek reddened once he saw her face clearly. Yes, it was a bit dark, with only the window as the source of light, but it was clear enough to see the girl's features.

She had a white ribbon on top of her short blonde hair. Some clips were keeping some of her bangs from her face. Her eyes were the color of blue—the same shade as his'. She was also wearing a black Victorian-era style dress.

Len only realized that she was close enough to him when she ran her middle and ring finger on his cheek. "You must be Alice," she said.

"Uh…" he voiced out dumbly. No words were entering his mind to answer the girl. He was too stunned. That girl looks almost exactly like him, if not for some girly features.

The girl suddenly smiled, making Len's red face redden even more. Len found himself unable to move—he can't even take his eyes away from the girl.

"Whoops, slow down there, you."

Len and the girl turned their heads around to see a silver-haired man sitting on the window rail, lighting his stick of cigarette.

"I'd appreciate it if you do not get closer to my Lady," he said.

"Dell…" the girl silently muttered. So the girl knows that mysterious guy…

Dell jumped a bit from the window railing he was sitting on and slowly walked towards the two of them. Then, a huff of smoke was suddenly blown into Len's face. He coughed and covered his nose. He fanned away some smoke using his hand and glared at Dell. "You bastard! What was that for?"

Dell simply ignored him and turned to the girl. "Rin, what are you doing in this floor? I've been looking everywhere for you. I thought something bad happened to you."

The girl, Rin, closed her eyes and hugged her bunny plushie tighter. "That's pretty unlikely, don't you think so Gumi?"

"Gumi is here to protect Rin!" the bunny plushie declared.

'_Rin… that name sounds familiar…' _Len thought. "Wait a second here… just who the heck are you guys?" he asked.

Dell, Rin and Gumi had his attention. They looked at him with bored eyes and then the rabbit plushie, Gumi, suddenly chuckled. "An idiot Alice; that's what we have here!"

"Huh?" Len was still confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't be too hard on him, Gumi," Rin said. "And you too, Dell," she added when she saw Dell approaching Len and was about to puff smoke on him again.

"Tch. Alright, alright," Dell answered and went back to Rin's side.

"Just answer me already!" Len said impatiently.

"I'm Kagamine Rin. This is Honne Dell and this rabbit is Megpoid Gumi," Rin introduced. "And you," she pointed towards Len, "are Alice, the wanderer."

Len's brow twitched. "Need I remind you that my name is Kagamine Len—wait… what? Kagamine Rin? As in _Kagamine Rin_?"

The three seemed a bit surprise by Len's familiarity towards Rin's name. "You know Rin?" Dell asked and looked at Rin curiously.

Len's thoughtful look disappeared and was replaced with a beaming face. "You're Kagamine Rin-chan!" he said happily and took her hands. "I can't believe it, you're here! The truth is, Mikuo also got stuck here… he's the reason why I'm here myself. But… wait a minute… What are you doing in this place?"

Rin looked at him questioningly. "I am here simply because I exist here," she replied monotonously. "And I don't understand what makes you say that you know me prior to meeting me today."

"Huh?" Len dumbly voiced out. What is Rin talking about?

"Rin, he thinks that you're Alice, too," Dell whispered to Rin but was still heard by Len.

Alice? What was up with that name? "Hey Rin, I, uh, uhm… you see, we haven't really _personally _met before but I know you because of Mikuo. He's constantly talking about you! I mean… since you're here, that means you also accessed that Wonderland website, right?"

Rin's face remained confused. "I don't know who that Mikuo is," she confessed rather bluntly. "And what is this Wonderland website you're talking about?"

Gumi chuckled again. "From an idiotic Alice to a crazy Alice! What more can you ask for?" Gumi commented happily.

Len glared at the bunny plushie before turning to Rin again. "Why are you acting like you don't know what I'm talking about? You probably accessed Wonderland's website too that's why you're here! What's the use of pretending? Listen, Mikuo is also stuck here like us! We need to find him so that we could get out of here together!"

Dell glowered at Len and violently pushed him out of the way. Len was thrown a few feet away from them. Dell held Rin closer to him. "Stop putting lies on my Lady's head. You're being too annoying." Dell looked at Rin and Gumi and said, "Let's just go before he turns anymore crazy."

"That's likely going to happen, hihi~" Gumi said while Rin nodded and followed Dell.

"Wait a minute!" Len yelled and got up as he rubbed his aching cheek, thanks to Dell's push. "I still don't get it why you're acting like you're not from the other world too, Rin… but… at least… at least show some concern for Mikuo! You guys have been friends for years now, haven't you?"

"When will you stop that? For the last time, Rin isn't from the other world like you!" Dell yelled angrily as he crushed the cigarette stick on his hand.

"So you're telling me that the others aren't from the other world, too? Haha, stop kidding me! This is a serious matter!" Len yelled back and stomped closer to Dell.

"What?" Dell asked unbelievably. "There are no other Alices here but you! You're the only Alice that came here!" he yelled.

"There you go with that girly name again! My name is Len, not Alice! When will you remember that?"

"… 'Alice' is what we call people here who came from the other world. Since you came from the other world, you're called 'Alice'," Rin suddenly interrupted with a calm voice.

Dell and Len stopped fighting and looked at Rin. Dell nodded in agreement with his Lady and cleared his throat while Len's eyes went wide at the news he heard. If Alice is what they call people here who came from another world… and, as per what Dell said, he was the only Alice there,

"Then what happened to Mikuo?" he asked with a shaky voice. "D-Does that mean that Mikuo isn't here? A-And the other people that got stuck here… including that uh… what was her name again? The girl on the news last night? Oh yeah, Megurine Luka? Where are they? A-And why do you bear the same name and face as the Kagamine Rin that I know?"

"We can't answer all those questions, stupid," Dell said as he lit another stick of cigarette.

"… But, there may be another person who could answer you," Rin said and looked at Gumi, "Right, Gumi?"

"Right!" Gumi said happily and continued, "The Four Great Leaders of Wonderland, _The Trump Cards!"_

"Trump cards? Who…?" Len's voice faded.

Rin replied with her monotonous voice, "They are the creators of this world. Ace of Spades, Jack of Clubs, King of Diamonds, and the Queen of Hearts. But the most fearsome leader of them all is the Queen of Hearts. She's the one who decides about anything. The other three protects her and serve as her guardians. There's also a rumor about another guardian called The Joker. Although no one knows who or where he is."

"So anyway, you're telling me that those four knows where Mikuo and the others are?" Len asked.

"Correct!" Gumi said cheerfully.

"Then where can I find them?" the blonde boy asked enthusiastically, feeling a bit hopeful.

"In the castle," Rin responded. "Where everything all began."

"Where is that?" Len asked once more.

Rin pointed her index finger upward. Len followed where it pointed and only saw the ceiling on top of them. "The… ceiling?" he said unsurely.

"Idiot!" Gumi said with a squeaky laugh.

"Would you stop calling me an idiot!" Len yelled at the White Rabbit.

"She's pointing to the top floor," Dell said. "This place where we are right now? It's called the Caucus Floor. The 5th floor of Wonderland."

"Okay, I'm lost. 5th floor?" Len asked with a confused face.

"Wonderland is the world of confusing and twisted floors. It's basically a really tall tower with 999 floors. And there is a World of Another per floor," Dell said.

"What is a World of Another?"

"Every floor has a Guardian. Every floor looks different and its look is based on the Guardian's Heart. The _World of Another _is what we call that Guardian's Heart."

"I still don't get it~" Len said with a depressed face.

"That's because you're an idiot~" Gumi said. Len glared at her.

Dell sighed and tried to explain it to him again. "Let me give you an example. Let's just pretend that this floor's Guardian is Rin. And so, this floor's look will be based on what Rin's heart looks like. Do you get it now?"

Len looked around. This place they're standing right now looks like a rundown vintage living room. Then that means that this is what this floor's Guardian's heart looks like. "So in short… the World of Another is basically the Guardian's Heart… right?"

"Correct."

"Then who is this floor's Guardian?" Len asked, examining the three of them.

Dell and Rin looked at Gumi.

Len's mouth dropped. "Gumi's the 5th floor's Guardian?!" he yelled with disbelief.

"How insulting!" Gumi said with a pout. Then, she suddenly glowed. Rin gently dropped her on the ground and Gumi transformed into a human being. She had short green hair with a pair of goggles on top of it and the same shade of green for her eyes. She was almost the same height as Rin, with her being taller than the latter by a few millimeters. She was still wearing the same outfit she had as a bunny.

Len gaped at Gumi's human form. "Uh… wow. You just… suddenly… transformed."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Alice," Gumi said and turned back.

"I should tell you that you shouldn't provoke a floor's Guardian, if you want to go higher in Wonderland," Dell warned him.

"Why?"

Rin pointed towards her right. Len followed it and saw an elevator with intricate designs. "That elevator is your way up. To make it move, you need a Guardian's key. And to get a Guardian's key, you must negotiate with him… or her," Rin said, looking at Gumi.

"Ever heard of the Caucus Race~?" Gumi suddenly asked, turning back around to face him.

"Uh… n-no?"

"A Caucus Race is a kind of racing which consists of everyone running in a circle with no clear winner. That means, in order to get to another floor, you have to fulfill that race and become the winner!"

Len's brow twitched. "You want me to run around in circles like an idiot?" he yelled at Gumi comically.

"Aren't you already one?" Gumi scoffed as she looked at Len mockingly.

A vein appeared on Len's forehead. "Why you little—"

"And BEGIN~" Gumi said.

Len said, "I won't go around running in—huh, what the—hey!" Len's legs involuntarily ran off across the room. "What the heck is—whoa—going on here? Why am I running around in circles?!" he yelled as the other three watched him run around in circles. Involuntarily.

"INCREASE SPEED~" Gumi said and Len's pace became faster. He's gradually getting dizzy.

"You sadistic rabbit! You're making me run, aren't you? How are you even doing it? I—huff, huff—I'm going to get you for this you little—"

"Stop complaining," Dell said with an evil smirk. "You want to get to the top floor right? Then you have to comply to Gumi's wishes."

"When I can control my movements again, I swear I'm going to kill you two!" Len said with angry flames lighting up behind him.

Rin stared at the flames behind him. "He's angry," she said.

"Just stop this will you!" Len yelled as his pace became even faster. He was so fast the only thing they could see was the flash of the color of his clothes.

Rin looked at where Len was running. "He's fast," she said.

"Rin! Aren't you going to say something to those two?" Len begged in a muffled voice, almost teary eyes.

Rin remained staring at him. She looked towards Gumi and Dell who were both grinning evilly at the suffering Len. "Gumi-chan, Dell… stop."

And Len's running was halted. He dropped on the ground, panting like crazy. He was also drenched in sweat. "Thank—huff—you," he said to Rin.

Gumi jumped and hugged Rin. "Why did you make him stop, Rinny?" Gumi said with a pout. "It was getting exciting too."

Rin looked at Gumi with innocent eyes. "Because he told me to make you stop."

"That's all? _Sigh~_" Gumi said and continued pouting.

"You don't have to obey his orders, milady," Dell said as he approached Rin.

"Eh? I don't?" Rin asked in confusion.

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><p>After Len finally recovered his strength from all that unnecessary running, Gumi gave him the keys to the elevator.<p>

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys around. Thanks for the basic information about Wonderland. I'm off to the top floor…" Len bid farewell as he inserted the key to the keyhole. A small compartment opened at the side and it revealed two buttons. One to go up and one to go down.

"… I hope you'll find your friend," Rin said as she stepped forward.

Len blushed slightly as he pressed the 'up' button and grinned at her. "Sure! I think I'll be able to find him though! Oh, wait a minute!" Len looked at Gumi, "Didn't you say earlier when I first saw you that you're late for something important?"

Gumi tilted her head sideways, as if remembering something. Then she said with a smile, "I've already arrived."

Len looked at her confusedly. Then, the elevator _dinged _and its two doors opened. "I guess I'm off. See you guys," he said as he stepped inside.

"Don't get into too much trouble with the other Guardians," Dell reminded him as he puffed a smoke.

Len grinned. "Sure!"

Just before the elevator closes, Len saw that Dell smirked evilly at him. "See you at the 392nd floor."

"H-Huh?"

Then, in a flash, Rin snatched away Gumi's golden pocket watch and jumped inside the elevator, just a second before it closes.

When the door completely closed, he could hear Dell and Gumi's gasps as he stared at Rin with confusion.

Rin's stood up properly and looked at Len. "I'm coming with you."

To be continued.

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><p>AN: Whooo! Done at last! And it took me months to update! Sorry 'bout that~ haha. Did you guys get the whole Wonderland concept? If not, don't be afraid to pm me or ask it in your reviews and I'll gladly explain it :)

By the way, what do you guys think happened to Mikuo? I wonder where he is? Who're the Trump Cards? And why did Rin take away Gumi's watch? All will be answered in the future chapters :D

I apologize for the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Please feel free to point them out so that I would improve ;D

Also, don't forget to review :)

Vocaloid © Crypton/Yamaha/Whatever


	3. Another

Len gawked at Rin's direction. The two were alone inside the elevator, where they are headed towards the 23rd floor (since that's the only floor that Gumi's key allowed him to go). He began questioning Rin in his mind but he was unable to voice it out since he was too preoccupied with shock.

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><p><strong>.<strong>

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**WONDERLAND**

By: rennomiya

**Book 1: Ace of Spades**

**Chapter 3: Another**

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><p>Rin looked at the pocket watch she guiltily stole from Gumi and stared at the time. '2:01 am', it read. Then she looked at the gaping Len again. "What's the matter?" she asked.<p>

"You—elevator—jumped—" Len articulated incoherently as he pointed a shaking finger at her.

She translated what most likely Len said in her mind. "I need to come with you," Rin answered when she deciphered Len's words.

"Why?"

"You may need some help. Especially if Dell declared war against you," Rin said.

"Dell? War?"

"He said he'll meet you at floor 392, didn't he? He's that floor's Guardian. And I think that he won't go easy on you," Rin said.

"Why?"

Rin looked away. "I don't know."

Len stared at Rin who was staring at the floor. Right now, he had no idea what was going on inside her mind. But… she seemed to only want to help. Besides, she might provide him useful information about every floor he'll get to. He sighed after thinking it over then he said, "Okay."

Rin smiled. "Thank you."

Len's cheeks reddened once more. That was the second time he'd seen her smile and it was still pretty.

. . .

GAH! What was he talking about? He shook his head and waited as the elevator rises up to the 23rd floor.

"B-By the way... why can I only go to the 23rd floor? I mean, can't I just go to the top floor already?" Len asked as he stared at the buttons 1-999 of the elevator. The button number 23 was the one lighted up.

"That is because Gumi's key can only get you to rise up for only 18 floors. Since you were in the 5th floor, the highest floor you could go to is only up to the 23rd floor," Rin answered as she pointed at the 5th button to the 23rd button of the lift.

"Why only 18 floors?" Len asked.

"That's all Gumi's power could take you," Rin replied. "This elevator is functioning because you activated Gumi's power through that Guardian Key. Unfortunately, Gumi's real power is currently sealed away because of this pocket watch."

"Why is Gumi's power sealed away?" Len asked as he looked at the watch.

Rin didn't answer him. Instead, she avoided the topic. "In conclusion, this elevator doesn't need electricity to function; rather, it needs Guardians' powers to keep it running. And you get the power supply through the keys they'll give you."

Rin was hiding something, Len thought. But he just shrugged and turned his head towards the many buttons of the elevator.

_DING!_

"Ah, it seems that we've arrived," Rin said as they waited for the doors of the lift to open.

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><p>Meanwhile, there was a mysterious place somewhere in Wonderland where four equally mysterious people reside. That place was full of shattered mirrors, where it provides live feedback on every floor of Wonderland. Including the 23rd floor.<p>

"Wow, would you look at that~" a girl with red hair tied into drill pigtails said childishly as she stared at the mirror where she watched Rin and Len roam around the 23rd floor.

"Hmm… Why would _she _accompany him? He's merely an Alice," a boy with green hair with goggles on top of his head said as he leaned back on the mirror wall.

"Keep your heads up. He may not be an ordinary Alice," a man with light pink hair said.

"Are you kidding me? He's the _King's _pawn, isn't he? Either way, he'll die in the end," a boy with silver hair and mismatched eyes said.

And in those four mysterious people's hands, were tattooed words that said, 'Broken'.

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><p>"We still can't find <em>her,<em>" a man with long purple hair tied into a ponytail reported to a boy who was sitting on the couch. The boy's facial features were hidden because of the darkness of the room. But his grin was still seen.

"Is that so? Well, that's okay. We'll find her eventually. On another subject, have you confirmed _his _arrival yet?" the boy asked.

The purple-haired man nodded. "Yes we have. He had arrived two hours ago and had already completed the 5th floor's Guardian's task."

"Oh I see. Just in time and as I expected. _He _really is the perfect substitute for that _key_."

"I agree with you," the purple-haired man said.

"What about _his _friend?" another voice said. The owner of the voice entered the room and it revealed a woman with short brown hair. "Is _he _still looking for his lost friend?" the woman suppressed a laugh.

The boy sitting on the couch narrowed his brows. "_His_ friend is dead. And don't change the topic, Meiko."

Meiko just laughed mockingly. "Okay, okay. I'll stop playing around."

"By the way, speaking of friends…" the purple-haired man interrupted, "_He _seems to have a company with him. It's an unknown girl."

"What do you mean 'unknown'?" the boy on the couch asked.

"She's not a _Guardian_. Not even a _Broken_. And most especially not a _Trump Card_," he replied.

The boy's eyes sharpened. "I see. Then who is that girl?"

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><p>Rin suddenly sneezed. Len turned to look at her to ask if she was okay. She just nodded and they proceeded on looking around the 23rd floor for its Guardian.<p>

The floor was a wide grassy field with nothing else in the view. They can't even see anything from a mile away but the same old boring view.

"Gumi's heart looks better than here. At least that place has some twisted stairs and an old vintage room," Len commented frankly as they continued walking. "I wonder who this floor's guardian is?"

Rin squinted her eyes as she viewed something unnatural. "I think I know who it is," she said.

Len said, "Eh? You do? Who?"

"Sweet Ann. Also known as Mary Ann," Rin replied.

"Mary… Ann?"

"Everybody has a nickname here. Dell's is Blue Caterpillar. Gumi-chan's White Rabbit. Sweet Ann is also the same. Her nickname is Mary Ann."

Then, Len saw a woman with curly blonde hair approach them with a basket full of flowers in one hand.

She stopped when she saw the two. "**Oh, I see I have some visitors here**," she said with a sweet smile.

Len looked at her dumbly. Then he looked at Rin. "Uh… she just spoke in another language…" his sweat dropped.

"**This boy here is an Alice and he would like to borrow your key to get to the lift**," Rin replied.

"**My Key? Why would an Alice go to the higher levels of Wonderland? I just don't understand at all**," Sweet Ann replied.

"**He…**" Rin hesitated, "**He needs to meet the Trump Cards.**"

"**Why would he want to meet them?**"

Rin thought that Sweet Ann shouldn't be asking too much personal questions. But since she's here to help Len, she'll just have to go with it. "**He needs to ask them about the whereabouts of his friend.**"

Len looked at Rin and Sweet Ann back and forth. He had no idea what they were talking about. So he just pretended to understand and nods his head once or twice per sentence they say.

Sweet Ann suddenly smiled with understanding. "**I see**," she turned to Len and talked to him, "**It's for your friend's sake, is it not? Very well then. I shall hand you the key. But on one condition~**"

Len stared at Sweet Ann, his mind blank, as she talked to him. He really had no idea what language she was using and he had no idea what she just said to him. "Uh… c-can you r-repeat that again?"

"Sweet Ann said she'll give you her Guardian Key on one condition," Rin translated for him.

"Oh. Okay. What's the condition?" Len asked, looking at Rin who was their interpreter for the day.

"**Alice wants to know your condition**," Rin said to Sweet Ann.

"**Can you please bring me the Queen's headdress, gloves and fan? It is in my house**," Sweet Ann said.

Rin asked where her house is. The older lady just pointed towards the long distance. Rin rolled her eyes and told Len about Sweet Ann's condition. And so, the two walked off towards where the lady pointed to.

* * *

><p>"This clear and peaceful view of the grassy field perfectly describes Sweet Ann's heart," Rin said as they were walking towards Sweet Ann's house, wherever it is.<p>

"Hey, Rin… may I ask you something?" Len hesitantly asked as he looked at Rin warily.

"You're already asking," Rin said. "Besides, you've been asking questions since you've arrived here."

A sweat dropped on Len's head as he laughed weakly. "S-Sorry~ It's just that—"

"I know. You're Alice and therefore you are curious. That's probably what got you in here in the first place: curiosity," Rin said.

Len denied, "Not true! I'm here because I want to save Mikuo!"

"We're getting off topic. What is your question?"

Len sighed and asked, "When I first got here, why did I end up on the 5th floor already instead of the 1st floor?"

Rin stopped walking and Len almost bumped into her. She turned around to look at Len. "You're… right," Rin said in a weak voice.

"You don't know, too?" he asked worriedly.

Rin narrowed her brows when she realized something. She muttered, "I see. That's probably why…"

"Huh? Why?"

"When you entered here, someone probably altered the path you were supposed to go to. But wait…" Rin placed her finger under her chin as she deeply thought of something, "… if that were the case then that person must have access to the elevator. But only the Guardians and Trump Cards have access to it… so who could possibly… Oh!"

Len looked at her with anticipation. Rin looked at him with shock. She pointed a finger towards him.

"The last fragment was born when you entered here!" Rin said.

"H-Huh? Fragment? What's that?" Len asked intriguingly.

Rin suddenly looked caught off guard and she said, "N-Never mind. It's nothing." She began walking again towards the house.

"W-Wait! Rin, tell me what the fragment is~" Len caught up to Rin.

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><p>Back to the <em>Brokens<em>, they were still watching Rin and Len from a mirror.

"_She's _really smart, as expected," the silver-haired boy commented with boredom. He raised his right hand up and looked at the tattooed word on the back of his hand. "'Broken' huh?"

"Quit staring at your hand, Piko," the boy with light pink hair, Yuuma, said. "Focus on watching _her_."

"Yuuma is really serious~" the girl with drill hair said as she swung her legs.

"And you're too immature, Teto," the boy with green hair, Gumiya, said.

Teto pouted. "Hmph!"

"Gumiya, look," Piko suddenly said as he pointed towards one of the mirrors. "Looks like your _'Another' _is trying to follow _her_."

Gumiya looked at the mirror Piko was pointing at. It showed Gumi running on the 23rd floor's grassy field. He stood up and said to his companions, "I'll be touring around the floors for a while."

The other three watched him leave.

Teto grinned. "I wonder what he's planning to~?"

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><p>Gumi ran across the 23rd floor. She was hoping to catch up to Rin and Len. She remembered how she begged Dell to help her activate the elevator through the use of his own key. The Blue Caterpillar dropped her off on the 23rd floor before proceeding to his own floor: 392nd.<p>

'_I got to remember to thank Dell later,' _Gumi thought as she ran, '_But right now I need to find Rin!' _She thought about how Rin snatched away her pocket watch. She gritted her teeth. _'That girl! She's always trying to protect me!'_

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><p>"We're here," Rin said as they looked at Sweet Ann's house, finally. "Let's go inside to look for the Queen's headdress, gloves and fan."<p>

"Right!" Len nodded and ran inside the house, with Rin following him closely behind.

The interior of the house looked the same as a modern American home. The two split up to look for the Queen's belongings. Shortly after, Rin found the headdress inside the guest room's closet, while Len found the gloves and fan inside a treasure box in the master's bedroom.

The two met up again at the entrance of the house, where they showed each other the things they've found.

"Now let's go back to where Sweet Ann is and—ow!" Len looked back and saw angry-looking clover leaves with pebbles on their hands… err, stems. "W-W-What the—"

"Why are you stealing from Sweet Ann's house? Return those items immediately!" one small clover leaf said angrily to the two of them.

"T-Talking plants!" Len yelled in disbelief.

Rin giggled. "This _is _Wonderland after all. Anything can happen. And those clover leaves are probably this house's guards."

"Why are you giggling?" Len yelled exasperatedly as he grabbed Rin's hand and dragged her away. "Now is not the time for giggling!" he yelled in panic.

Rin just continued giggling as they ran away from the angry mob of clover leaves. The clovers ran after them and kept on throwing pebbles at Len.

Rin noticed something peculiar. "Len, something is wrong here."

"Yeah, they're only throwing pebbles at _me_," Len said with disbelief in his voice.

"No, not that. Look," Rin stopped running and pointed at some small cakes that are on the ground.

Len shook his head with incredulity and pulled Rin to him, who just resisted and continued on looking at the cakes. "Rin! Now's not the time to look at those cakes!"

"No. When the clovers hurled the pebbles at you, it turned into small cakes," Rin said as she went closer to the small pile of cakes and took one.

"Rin! Let's go! Just ignore the small cakes!" Len said, almost begging at Rin.

Rin approached Len. She said, "They said that when you find a four-leaf clover, it'll bring you luck. Do you believe that?"

"Rin!" Len panicked even more. They needed to run away, but Rin was too relaxed even though… "The angry mob of clovers is coming!" he yelled as he grabbed Rin's hand again and began running away.

"You still haven't answered my question," Rin said while they were running. "Do you believe in luck?"

"I—_huff, huff_—I don't know! Maybe—_huff_—maybe not!" Len answered as he panted. Some pebbles were thrown straight into his head.

"Then do you trust me?" Rin asked.

"Of—_huff_—course! Now let's run—_huff_—faster! Those tiny plants are—_huff—_fast runners!"

Rin smiled. Then she ran beside Len and slammed the small cake she was holding into Len's mouth. The two stopped running and Rin looked at him as he choked. "W-What was that for Rin?"

Then, they noticed that the mob of clovers stopped chasing them. They also stopped throwing pebbles at them, err, Len.

"They stopped!" Len said as he stared at the still clovers.

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><p>Back in the world where Len came from, their blue-haired friend, Shion Kaito, stared at the fainted Len and Mikuo. He walked towards the laptop and saw a note written by Len at the side.<p>

He read the note. _'If we are found lifeless right now, please do not try to access the site of Wonderland. There maybe another way to make us go back. We are probably stuck in Wonderland until then._'

"Another way out, huh?" Kaito murmured. "Len, you idiot."

'_Always making me do all the hard work—_sigh_,'_ he thought.

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><p>"<strong>Thank you for retrieving the Queen's possession for me<strong>," Sweet Ann said with a gentle smile as they exchanged items; the Queen's belongings for Sweet Ann's Key.

"Rin," Len whispered to her, "Can you ask her about the clover leaves?"

Rin nodded once then asked Sweet Ann, "**We were chased by a mob of angry clover leaves earlier. Any idea who they are?**"

The older lady looked contemplative for a few seconds before saying, "**Oh yes! Please forgive me for I have failed to remember to warn you about them! They are my helpers in this world. I hope they didn't give you too much trouble…**"

"**No, not at all. Don't worry**," Rin replied.

"**As an apology, I'll give you information about the Queen's identity**," Sweet Ann said. Rin held her pocket watch and looked at the time again. It read, '4:29 am'.

"What did she say?" Len asked Rin in a whisper.

"She said that the clovers are her helpers and as an apology, she'll give us information about the Queen's identity," she whispered back.

"Oh that's great!" Len exclaimed happily.

"**After all, I'm her maidservant~**" Sweet Ann said with a small laugh.

"She said she's the Queen's maidservant," Rin translated to Len, who just nodded in understanding.

"**Anyway, the Queen's name is...**"

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><p>Rin and Len were back on the elevator again. The next floor they're going to go to is the 157th floor.<p>

Rin opened the watch again and read the time, '4:40 am'.

Len flashbacked on what Sweet Ann told them. He really wasn't sure about what she was saying but she heard the words 'Sakine Meiko' in her sentence. Then, Rin interrupted his thoughts. She told him,

"Sweet Ann said that the Queen's name is…

Sakine Meiko."

To be continued.

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><p>AN: Done! What do you guys think? It's becoming confusing already, isn't it? I'll clear any confusions in the future chapters so stay tuned :D

Feel free to point out the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes to help me improve okay ;) And don't forget to review XD

Vocaloid © Crypton/Yamaha/Whatever


	4. Existence

"Sakine Meiko, huh..." Len stared at the ground, a focused look visible on his face. His brows narrowed as he looked up and stared into Rin's eyes. "If she's this world's Queen, then it is possible that she knows where Mikuo is... right?"

Rin looked back at him intently. Her eyes were showing that she was thinking deeply of something. Then, she replied, "Yes, it is possible."

Len nodded with determination. "Then we must hurry to the top floor to meet this woman!" he said as he looked at the buttons of the elevator, seeing the 157th button lighted up. "But there is still a long way to go before the top."

Unknown to him, Rin was still thinking of something deep. Her grip on Gumi's pocket watch tightened as she muttered. "... the Queen of Hearts, huh?"

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><p><strong>.<strong>

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**WONDERLAND**

By: rennomiya

**Book 1: Ace of Spades**

**Chapter 4: Existence**

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><p>"ARGH!" a brown-haired woman wearing a red frilly dress screamed in irritation. "Where the HELL is that girl?!" she screamed once more as she searched for that <em>girl <em>through the mirror she was holding.

"Calm down, Meiko," the purple-haired man, Gakupo, said to her.

Meiko glared at her companion and said, "How can I calm down? What if that Alice arrives here before we find _her? _What's going to happen?"

"The _King _doesn't seem like he's bothered by her disappearance," Gakupo said as he looked at a boy sitting on the couch casually. "Am I right, _King?" _

Meiko and Gakupo awaited the _King's _response. They were standing behind the couch where the _King _was sitting on, his arms rested on the edge of the couch's backrest.

The boy bent his head, resting his nape on the couch's edge, as he looked directly into Gakupo's eyes. He had a bored look on his face. "I'm bothered by something else, actually," he said.

Meiko asked, "What is it?"

The _King _repositioned himself properly and looked at the ground with sharp eyes. "The girl travelling with the Alice."

Meiko nodded. "Just like you mentioned before, Gakupo, that girl isn't a _Trump Card, _a _Guardian, _or a _Broken. _She pretty much appeared out of nowhere."

"Have you found out what her name is?" the _King _asked.

"No. But I'll order the _Cheshire Cat _to gather more information about the girl," Gakupo said as he signalled a door to open, revealing a figure of a woman standing casually.

The _King _grinned. "Great. _Cheshire, _go find out everything you can about the girl travelling with the Alice."

Meiko suddenly interrupted before Gakupo gestured the _Cheshire _to leave. She mocked, "That's right. After all, the _King _knows everything he needs to know about the Alice. He doesn't need _Cheshire _to research on him. Let him research on the mysterious girl inst—"

She was cut off when she was tackled on the ground, by none other than the _King _himself. His eyes were filled with pure hatred. He began strangling Meiko. "Don't you mock me, you worthless piece of crap," he hissed dangerously. "Mention that topic again and I swear, I'll kill you. You're easy to replace."

Meiko couldn't form any words as she was almost out of breath. She slowly turned to Gakupo, mentally asking him for help since the _King _was too strong. Gakupo merely watched her being strangled to death in boredom. Then he turned to _Cheshire, _"You may go now. They're currently in floor 157."

"... Gaku... po... you... bastard..." Meiko said, struggling from the _King's _grasp.

The _King _suddenly let go of her and went back to his couch. He lied down casually, as if nothing happened.

Meiko coughed a few times and sat up. She glared at the _King _and Gakupo. "I won't forget this, _King."_

* * *

><p>Rin and Len arrived at the 157th floor after a few more seconds of waiting. The door opened and both stared at the "forest setting" of the floor. There were trees everywhere that you can't see the sky anymore.<p>

"What a weird place. I wonder who this floor's Guardian is?" Len commented as he stepped inside.

"We better find him quick if you want to get to the top floor," Rin said as she walked past Len and went straight ahead.

"W-Wait for me Rin~" he said as he caught up to his female companion.

The two walked for a few more minutes before getting into a road made of soil. There were a bunch of it, going to the left, right, ahead, and diagonal. The two wondered what the soil road was for.

"Maybe if we follow one path then we'll get into something!" Len said cheerfully to Rin.

Rin was about to agree, when they heard a weird sound coming closer to them.

"What's that?" Len asked as he looked frantically everywhere, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.

"It sounds like an old-fashioned steam-engine train," Rin said as she looked to their left.

"A... train? Like the ones run by coal?" Len asked unsurely before he heard the honk of a train.

Then, a whip of something gray and brown past them for a second. It only left a breeze of wind after it was gone.

Len suddenly panicked. "W-W-W-What was that?"

"The train, probably," Rin said calmly.

"N-No train run as fast as that! Heck, not even a jet plane can go in that speed!"

"We're not in your world, Len. We're in Wonderland. And we're inside this floor's Guardian's heart. Anything is possible," Rin said as she rolled her eyes.

"What kind of person has this kind of heart?" Len asked in exaggeration.

"Anyway," Rin said, ignoring Len, "The train didn't use any railway. It just ran over this soil road."

Len stopped panicking and looked at the soil road. "This road is the train's railway then?"

Rin nodded.

"So... what now?" he asked.

"We follow this road," she said, pointing towards the road going to the right.

Then, they heard the sound of an approaching train again.

"On second thought, we'll ride the next train," Rin said as she positioned herself.

"Are you kidding me? How are we going to even enter that train when it goes a million miles per hour?"

Rin offered a hand to Len. "We'll jump," she said as Len took her hand.

"We'll miss it, no doubt! Or worse, we might get hit by it!" Len said, panicking once more.

Rin smiled at him innocently.

A sound of a speeding train was heard, then a loud bump.

* * *

><p>Back into the 23rd floor, Gumi was still running around, hoping to see any signs of Rin or Len. She was beginning to get nervous. What if they already left? If that were the case then she won't have any idea which floor they are on next. She just hopes that luck is on her side this time.<p>

She saw a bunch of clover leaves ahead of her and she gradually stopped running. She looked at all of the plants, and found a four-leaf clover. She picked it up and stared at it.

"Can't you see _she's _only trying to protect you?" a voice interrupted Gumi's thoughts. She stopped when she noticed Gumiya in front of her.

Gumi stared at Gumiya curiously. "W-Who are you?"

"My identity is not important. What is important is your safety," he said.

"I don't care about my safety! I have enough of everyone protecting me! It's my turn to protect Rin now!" Gumi yelled with determination as she ran around Gumiya and continued on searching for Rin.

"_She's _not on this floor anymore," he suddenly said, making Gumi stop from running. She looked at him.

"I… I haven't caught up to her?" she said sadly. Gumiya looked at her saddened face blankly.

"She's on the 157th floor."

Then, Gumiya left. But not before saying, "Just make sure you won't die. Stupid Rabbit."

Gumi looked at him inquisitively as he disappeared into thin air. "Who… is that boy?"

And how dare he call her stupid! "You're the stupid one!" she yelled as it echoed throughout the grassy field.

* * *

><p>"I... I can't believe you're such a risky girl, Rin..." Len said, his heart beating rapidly out of nervousness, fear and relief that they got inside the train safely. He can't even remember how it happened. He just realized that he was now lying on his stomach on top of the ridiculously over-speeding train with Rin sitting next to him.<p>

"I'm not risky," she defended herself with a pout.

"Then what do you call yourself?" Len asked as he finally had the courage to sit up.

"An adventurer. Unlike you, who's a coward," she teased.

"H-Hey! I'm no coward!" he said. Then he added, "I... uh... I was just concern for your safety! You don't even appreciate it!"

"Yeah, right," Rin said sarcastically, dropping the subject. Then she looked up. "You can see the sky from here."

He looked up also and smiled. "Yeah..."

* * *

><p><em>Cheshire <em>leaped from tree to tree. She just arrived at this floor after Gakupo-sama sent her for this mission through _King. _"_This floor... from what I remember, its guardian is _him," she thought as she continued on leaping to another tree. Then she stopped when her cat ears twitched, meaning that she heard a sound getting close to her. She looked behind her and spotted an old and rusty-looking train approaching her at an alarming speed.

She faded away slowly.

* * *

><p>"Hey Rin..." Len called her while they were still on top of the train heading towards god-knows-where.<p>

"What is it?" she asked, facing ahead and avoiding his gaze.

"... You told me before about the residents of this world... There are the Trump Cards and the Guardians... Rin, what are you in this world?" he asked, feeling awkward at his question.

"You don't really need to know," she answered and continued on looking ahead.

Len watched her as the strong gust of wind played with her short blonde hair. Her eyes were still emotionless, as always, but he can see that there is something her eyes were telling that he can't describe. "Don't I have the right to know?" he persisted.

Rin heaved an impatient sigh. "You told me that the only reason you're here is because you want to find your friend. I am helping you find him by leading you towards the top floor where the Trump Cards live. Therefore, it is unnecessary for you to know my identity. My identity is off topic."

Len diverted his gaze from her, feeling a bit hurt.

He just wanted to know more about her... she is his companion for the rest of his journey after all. "Sorry," he apologized.

Suddenly, a female figure faded in just in front of them. From transparent to solid, a pink-haired woman appeared. Len was so shocked of this person's random appearance that he almost fell down the speeding train. Good thing he managed to get back his composure before he completely fell.

"What the!" he screamed in surprise.

The pink-haired woman stood up, despite the probable chance of being off-balanced because of the moving train. She placed a hand over her hips and stared at them with her alluring blue eyes. Well, she specifically looked at Rin.

Rin stared back at her with her emotionless blue eyes. "_Cheshire..." _she spoke.

_Cheshire _leaned closer to her and gently placed her index finger under Rin's chin to make her face her. She scanned the blonde girl's facial features. While the two were staring at each other without any exchange of words, Len kept on watching them, still in shock at _Cheshire's _sudden appearance.

_Cheshire's _figure began turning transparent again and when she re-appeared, she was behind Rin.

"H-How in the world did she do that?" Len asked in exaggerated voice.

_Cheshire _stroked Rin's silky blonde hair and began playing with her white ribbon. She continued on examining the girl. Then she teleported away from them again. She appeared in front of Len, this time.

"My name is Megurine Luka, also known as _Cheshire Cat_," she introduced herself to Len who backed away from her in panic, but also kept himself balanced so as not to fall from the train. "There is no need to be afraid. I can not hurt Alice without consent from Gakupo-sama," she said when she noticed that Len was avoiding her.

"W-What the hell are you talking about? A-Are you this floor's Guardian?"

Luka shook her head sideways. "No, I am not. I am merely a weapon created by my master."

"I don't get it..." Len said, his face still surprised.

"You do not need to get it, Alice. I am here to ask you one question, and one question only," Luka said in her deep, calm voice. She pointed her look to Rin. "Who is that girl with you? I can not seem to fathom her existence. I am a being who is knowledgeable of every person living in Wonderland. Unfortunately, I can not see that woman's data in my database."

"Y-You mean Rin?" he looked at Rin's direction. The blonde girl was staring back at them, still emotionless.

"Rin..." Luka looked as if she was trying to process something. "The only Rin in my database is the one called Kagamine Rin."

"Y-Yeah... she is Kagamine Rin, right, Rin-chan?" Len looked at Rin.

"..."

"You are most likely not telling the truth," Luka said and faded away again. She re-appeared next to Rin. "Her existence... is quite disoriented, like an abstract art. She is not Kagamine Rin. She is someone who is not from this world nor yours."

"E-Eh? I don't get the way you speak, Luka-san..." Len said then he realized something immediately after saying her name. "M-Megurine Luka? A-Aren't you the one from the news?" he said when he remembered her name and her face from the news he watched the other day. "Y-You're from my world, too!"

"I did not exist anywhere else but Wonderland. I am a creature of this world. I am not an Alice," the pink-haired woman said.

"_Cheshire..." _Rin called which made Luka turn to her. "Who is the one who sent you? Is it the _King?" _she asked.

"Yes," Luka replied. "And so, please tell me the reason of your existence here. Your real identity is a mystery."

"I won't be able to tell you my identity simply because I am who I am. What you see is me."

Luka suddenly saw that Rin was trying to hide something from her. She kept on touching the pockets of her frilly and lacy dress as if trying to keep something there. "May I see what you have inside your pocket?"

"No."

Luka continued on staring at her. "I believe that whatever you have in your pocket will reveal your real identity. Now, please hand it over."

"No."

Len felt the tension between the two girls and he decided to step in, despite not getting what was really happening and what they were talking about. "Hey cut it out! Can't you see Rin doesn't want to?" Len tried to stand up to walk over to them but the speeding train was keeping him from doing so. So he just crawled towards them.

Luka turned her head towards him and looked at him with her blue eyes. Her eyes literally glowed and changed color. "Do not interfere," she said in a strong voice and her eyes turned into color red.

Len sensed danger. He felt that Luka was about to use some sort of magical power against him. He shut his eyes, slowly anticipating what was about to happen to him.

Rin gently grabbed Luka's hand and the pink-haired woman's eyes reverted back to normal. Her eyes widened. She suddenly can't release her powers. She looked confused and began fading away. "I shall return."

Len opened his eyes again when he heard Luka spoke. Then, the woman disappeared right before their eyes. "What happened? She just left?"

He looked at Rin who was still sitting there as if nothing happened. "What did you do, Rin-chan?"

To be continued.

* * *

><p>AN: Yo I am back from temporary retirement. Good news though~ I will return in writing by the end of February or at March. I just really missed writing... I can't stop myself. So now, I will return to my thesis and leave you guys again for a while :) Please pray that I will do good in my thesis that I'm going to defend on the first week of February...

Hope you liked this chappie ;) I did not proofread it because I was too excited to update it... I'll proofread it someday...

Author's question to readers/reviewers:

Who do you think Rin really is? :)


	5. Mikuo

Len looked at Rin with uncertainty and suspicion. "What did you do, Rin-chan?" he asked cautiously at the girl who remained emotionless and staring ahead.

With just one touch, Rin stopped _Chesire _from an attempted attack at Len. The boy didn't know how on earth she managed to stop that pink-haired girl since he had his eyes closed.

"She probably thinks that you're too powerful for her," she lied, not looking at him.

This, however, boasted Len's ego. He grinned and laughed. "I-Is that so?"

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

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**WONDERLAND**

By: rennomiya

**Book 1: Ace of Spades**

**Chapter 5: Mikuo**

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><p>It had been exactly half an hour since they jumped on the speeding train and they were still uncertain where it would take them. The train was still moving, honking a few times in a random interval.<p>

"Rin-chan... where exactly are we going at this state?" he asked, "What if this train never stops? How are we going to go down?" The train was too fast and if they jump off the train, it would only kill them, he was sure.

"If we go down the train, then we will only get lost in the forest," she said as she pointed towards the top of the trees under them. "Remember that we can't even see the skies from under there."

"But..." he said hesitantly, "Does this train even stop at all? I'm starting to think that it's going to go forever."

"That is impossible," she said. "But I am curious about something."

"What is it?"

"Before we jumped into this train, there was another one, remember? At this height, we should be able to see that train... Yet, all I see are leaves from the trees," she recalled the first train that ran past them when they arrived at that floor.

"Maybe it went to a different route?" Len guessed.

"Or maybe it—"

Len's eyes widened in fear as everything went in slow motion. An arm suddenly grabbed Rin from behind, cutting off what she was saying, and pulled her down the million-miles-per-hour train. She disappeared under the forest.

"RIN!" Len screamed fearfully as he crawled to the edge of the train, contemplating whether on jumping down or not. But if he doesn't jump down soon, then he would be too far away from Rin and he might not be able to see her again.

Gathering all of his courage, he braced himself as he jumped down the train, ignoring the fear of dying right there and then.

Everything was too fast. Len hit a few branches of trees before he landed on the ground. He felt a sharp pain in his back as he landed. He couldn't move due to the pain. He tried sitting up but his body only aches even more as he move.

"R-Rin..." he weakly muttered.

Who the hell pulled her anyway? Was it _Chesire? _Did she return so suddenly? He didn't know what he should do. He felt mad at himself for being unable to do anything. What if _Chesire _hurt her? He didn't know what he would do if he finds her dead. "RIN!" he screamed loudly.

He tried his best on standing up and ignored all the pain he felt. To hell with broken bones! He would save Rin even if his spinal cord was broken. Of course, if his spinal cord was broken, then he'd already be dead by now.

The moment his feet were on the floor, he dropped down on the ground face-first. His body couldn't resist the pain. It was too much. "R-Rin..." desperately, he crawled towards where Rin was pulled away, anxiously hopeful she was safe.

* * *

><p>It had already been three days since Mikuo and Len were found unconscious after accessing the cursed website. Kaito haven't slept in those three days, since he was researching every webpage, every book, every victim's relatives to at least have one clue on how he could save his friends.<p>

But it was to no avail.

He felt desperate. He hasn't eaten any ice cream in three days. He was furious, tired, and hopeless. Dark bags were already under his eyes, and he fatigue was kicking in.

"Mikuo... Len... please be safe," he told his two friends who were unconscious on the hospital bed. He specifically asked the hospital to have those two confined in one room so that he could pay them a visit in one go.

His friends' parents were all out of the country and he could not even contact anyone.

After sighing deeply, he sat on the couch on the far corner of the hospital room, eyeing the white ceiling with dead eyes.

"How the hell could I save these two morons...?" he muttered weakly. He wanted to sleep. He was overly exhausted. But every time he would even think of closing his eyes, the thought of his two friends who were already as good as dead would enter his mind and it would stop him from getting any sleep. "This is all Mikuo's fault. Why the hell would he access the website?"

The door to the room was open, so Kaito could see people passing by. He stared at them blankly. He saw nurses, doctors, patients and relatives passing by. After a few minutes of staring blankly at the passing people, he saw a familiar shade of teal hair walking by.

His eyes widened.

"Mikuo!" he called out.

* * *

><p>Len continued on crawling his way. 30 minutes had passed, he estimated, and he had only advanced 2 meters from where he landed. He could feel tears slowly forming in his eyes. He hated being useless. He was not used in this situation.<p>

He was a normal kid living a normal life in a normal world.

The pressure was too much. The pressure was starting to get to him.

The fact that he had arrived in a strange world was still sinking in. Maybe this was a dream. Maybe he was still fast asleep. Maybe everything that happened wasn't even real. This was a nightmare.

"Why am I so concerned about Rin-chan...?" he began asking himself. He was practically dying there because he wanted to save her. Save her from what? Who took her anyway?

He felt pathetic.

"Who is Rin-chan?"

"Why was she hiding some things from him?"

"Rin-chan..."

"... Rin... chan..."

Slowly, unconsciousness was getting into him. His eyes closed down as his strength rapidly disappeared. "Rin..."

_CRACK_

"AHHH!" Len screamed in pain, his consciousness suddenly returned. Someone stepped on his back! His body was trembling as it absorbed the new pain inflicted in him. He turned his head towards the person who stepped on him. "Why the hell did you do that?!" he yelled.

"If you lose consciousness," the voice was familiar, "Then you would really die!"

'_M-Mikuo...?' _Len thought as he registered the voice. It definitely sounded like his teal-haired friend's voice. "Mikuo... is that you?" he asked. He couldn't see the person's face since it was hidden with shadows due to the backlight. But he could see some features of his hair and face.

He was certain it matched Mikuo's.

* * *

><p>"Mikuo!" Kaito called out hurriedly to the person who passed by the room. He paced towards the hallway, hoping to see his friend.<p>

Swiftly, he saw teal-hair turning into a corner at the far end of the hallways. He immediately ran towards it. "Mikuo, is that you?!" he called out.

How the hell was it possible? Mikuo was sleeping. How could there be two Mikuos? As he turned into a corner, he was shocked to see a pair of teal eyes staring directly at him.

"M-Mikuo... it_ is_ you... What the hell... are you doing here?"

* * *

><p>Rin anticipated a painful drop on the ground but it never came. She opened her tightly shut eyes and looked towards the person who suddenly pulled her from the train. Her eyes widened when she saw a pair of pure-white bunny ears.<p>

This person was carrying her, flying mid-air using her flapping bunny ears, the blue skies in full view.

"G-Gumi-chan!" she said with wide eyes.

Gumi stared back at her with a soft smile. "Thought you would lose me, huh?"

"You could fly?" Rin asked shockingly. "Using your bunny ears?"

Gumi laughed amusedly at Rin's shocked face. It was not everyday she could take a glimpse of an emotion in Rin's face. Most of the time her face was serious, if not, curious. "I thought you were shocked because I managed to catch up to you!"

"Yeah, there's that, too," Rin said in a low voice. "Why did you follow us?" Rin asked, her brows slowly narrowed. "You are safer in your own floor."

"Stop it," Gumi looked hurt, "Stop what you are doing. Wandering around Wonderland is too risky for you, Rinny."

Rin avoided Gumi's face, feeling guilty that she hurt her friend. "I have to do this. I have to help Alice."

"Why do you want to help that good-for-nothing shota boy?" Gumi asked. She cautiously flew downwards, passing by branches and leaves of the forest, and landed safely on the soil ground. The skies were not visible again under the forest trees. She carefully dropped Rin on the ground. "If you do this anymore, then the _King _will find out about you."

"That's why I took your pocket watch," Rin said as she took out Gumi's watch from her pocket and showed it to the bunny girl. "I could hide my identity with your pocket watch."

"Rin-chan, please, stop it. Let's just go back to the 5th floor... we'll be much much safer there," the green-haired girl pleaded.

Rin contemplated. She knew exactly what to tell her friend. "I won't. I'll get Len to the top floor no matter what."

"Why are you so eager in helping him?" Gumi grabbed Rin's shoulders desperately, "At least tell me your reason why you're practically risking yourself for him!"

Rin was silent for a few seconds. "I know he could change the _King."_

"Change?! What the hell, Rin?! The _King _is not going to change, no matter what! Heck, if I didn't know it any better, he must have summoned that blonde boy here in the first place!"

"That's impossible," Rin said with confidence, "The last fragment was born the moment Len arrived here."

Gumi's eyes widened in surprise. "T-The last fragment...? T-Then that must mean... that _they _are complete... This world is..."

"Everything is in motion now. This world started to spin. We can't stop it anymore."

"J-Just who is this Len kid?" Gumi muttered fearfully. "I... I'm scared."

* * *

><p>"M-Mikuo... is that really you?" Len asked weakly as he tried to focus his vision on the boy still stepping on his back.<p>

"Huh?" the boy questioned apathetically. "Mikuo? Hell no," he said, revealing his fiery-red eyes. "My name is Akaito."

"...Akaito...?" Len eyed the boy's red hair... he had the same hairstyle as his teal-haired friend but he had the same facial features as his blue-haired friend, Kaito. "...Kaito...?"

"Not Kaito. A-KA-I-TO," he told the blonde boy.

"What the hell... you looked exactly like Kaito..." Len said. "Are you this floor's guardian?" he asked.

"Yep," Akaito replied with an arrogant grin. "So what's an Alice doing here in my precious abode?" asked the red-haired boy as he removed his feet from Len's back.

"I need your key..." Len muttered. "You see, I—O-OW!" he screeched in pain as he felt his aching back again. "Why the hell did you step on my back?! It now hurts more than before!" he yelled at the Guardian.

"You were about to sleep. If I didn't step on you, then you would've really died!" Akaito said. "You were pretty suicidal, ain't ya?"

"I'm not suicidal! You see, my friend, Rin-chan, was kidnapped by—"

"RIN-CHAN?!" Akaito yelled exaggeratedly. "Rin is here?! Oh my God! Rin is here! EVERYONE, Rin is here!" Akaito called towards the skies.

Len wondered how Akaito knew about Rin, and who was he even talking to?

Suddenly, the leaves of the trees grew eyeballs, literally.

Len blinked.

"Hey everyone, Rin-chan is here! Can you believe it?" Akaito said with an arrogant smirk. The leaves began laughing uncontrollably as they rustled.

"T-The leaves are... laughing..." Len gaped with disbelief. He thought he had already adapted to the weirdness of this world; he was wrong. "They don't even have mouths... how the hell were they laughing?"

"It's their souls," Akaito said arrogantly.

"Souls?!" Len looked back at the Guardian. "H-How could they have souls?!"

"Plants are living beings, too," Akaito reminded him. "It's only natural for them to feel and have souls."

He suddenly remembered the clover leaves who threw pebbles at him back in Sweet Ann's floor. They were alive and moving, too.

"How did you know about Rin?" Len asked Akaito, changing the topic. Internally, he wanted to know what kind of relationship the redhead has with her.

"Everyone knows about her. The question here is how an Alice like _you _knows about Rin?" Akaito scanned Len suspiciously. "An Alice shouldn't know about Rin's existence until later."

"What do you mean?"

"Alice is a curious egghead who wanders around Wonderland, wondering the wonders of the world. Alice is supposed to meet Rin by Book 4," Akaito said.

"Book 4? What Book 4?" Len asked.

"It doesn't matter. When do you plan on lying there on the ground, anyway?" Akaito asked.

"Huh? Well it's not my fault my back aches even more!" he shouted at him.

"What are you talking about? Your back is cured now," Akaito said, "Can't you feel it?"

"Cured? It can't be! It still... hurts—whoa, the pain is gone," Len voiced out dumbly. "How in the world...?" he sat up and stretched his back. It doesn't feel painful anymore. "How did you do that?"

"With this," Akaito suddenly kicked Len's back, harder this time. The boy flew a feet away from him.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?! WHY DO YOU KEEP ON KICKING ME?! DAMN IT!"

The leaves all around laughed mockingly at him with their tiny voices.

"It's fun kicking you," Akaito said with a smirk. "But not as fun as seeing you jumping off that train."

"Len? Akaito?"

Akaito turned around dramatically when he recognized the voice. "Rin!" he beamed. But his delighted face was replaced with disgust. "Who the hell are you?" he tsk-ed. He thought it would be Rin.

Len looked up and saw Rin standing not too far away from them. She was with the green-haired girl from the 5th floor, Gumi. "Rin-chan? Gumi?" He sighed in relief. He was happy that nothing bad happened to Rin. He sat up and smiled at the two girls. "Rin-chan, good thing you're safe. What happened to you? Who was the one that pulled you earlier?" he asked the girl. Then, he looked at Gumi and wondered what she was doing there. He was about to speak when Akaito beat him to it.

"That's the Rin you were talking about? Tsk. And here I thought it's _the _Rin that I know," Akaito grunted. "And what the hell, Gumi? Why are you here?"

"It's none of your business!" Gumi stuck a tongue out at him.

"Not the Rin _you _knew?" Len asked suspiciously. "It's the same thing with _Cheshire _earlier. She said that Rin is not Rin and there was a different Rin in this world."

Akaito and Gumi were visibly shocked-to-death hearing _Cheshire's _name. Len noticed this and questioned their reactions.

"_C-Cheshire _is here? A-And you encountered her?" Gumi asked as she turned to Rin.

Rin nodded. She didn't want Gumi to find out because she knew that her green-haired friend would only worry about her more, but she can't do anything about it anymore.

"I-I knew it! This is bad, Rin! Let's just go back to my floor! _Cheshire _is after you now! You're in danger!" Gumi said desperately.

"I can't believe this. You've met _Cheshire?! _How are you still alive after that?!" Akaito turned to Len with curious and fearful eyes.

Len didn't know what was going on. The two Guardians were making a big deal out of this _Cheshire _girl. So what if they encountered her? Was Luka really that dangerous? "What do you mean by that?" Len asked.

"_Cheshire _is a mindless weapon created by one of the Trump Cards to replace the Joker who was yet to be discovered. She's sometimes called Alternative Joker because of that," Akaito replied.

Len remembered about Joker. He was supposed to be one of the Trump Cards that protect the Queen of Hearts, but his whereabouts were still unknown. Rin mentioned about the Joker earlier when he first met her. "So the Trump Cards made an artificial Joker..."

"If _Cheshire _allowed you to live, then that must mean that you're someone with a special purpose in this world," Akaito presumed.

Len scratched his head. "Actually, _Cheshire _was after Rin. She kept on asking about who Rin was and she wouldn't believe that Rin is Rin. She said that Rin's existence was distorted," he revealed to the two.

Gumi looked appalled. "Rin... what do we do?"

"Of course that girl couldn't possibly be Rin," Akaito said, pointing at Rin. "There is only one Rin in this world."

"Who is this _Rin _you know?" Len asked, determined on knowing more about the Rin he knew and the Rin Akaito and _Cheshire _knew.

Akaito was hesitant. "I can't tell you that. You have to meet her yourself. This world existed because of Rin, and if you want to know more about her, then you should just talk to her yourself."

"Why can't you tell me?" Len persisted. "If your Rin is so important, then why can't you tell me even just a few things about her?!"

"No one is allowed to tell anyone what they know about Rin. Only the Trump Cards are allowed to talk about her openly," Akaito said.

"GAH! You guys are making me more curious! I want to know just who the hell Rin is!" Len turned to Rin and walked closer to her. "Rin, you'll tell me what you know about the Rin they're talking about, right?"

Rin ashamedly shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Len turned to Gumi. "Gumi!"

Gumi avoided his pleading look. "It's too complicated. I can't tell you anything about her."

Len felt furious. "Then at least tell me who you are!" Len looked at Rin directly in her eyes. "Are you even supposed to exist here? I'm not sure about anything anymore! I'm confused! I feel like you're hiding something from me Rin-chan! I want you to trust me, because I trust you!" he said with determination.

"... Len..." somehow, the blonde girl felt touched with Len's words. And the look in his eyes told her that he was sincere with what he said. It was almost impossible to believe that a boy like him trusts her despite only meeting her hours ago. But there he was. He believes in her genuinely. She stepped closer to him, planning to reveal everything to him, "Len, I'm—"

"Rin! What are you doing?! You can't tell him who you really are!" Gumi interrupted as she pulled Rin closer to her. "If you tell him, then _he _would find out and you're going to be—"

"I trust him," Rin said in a serious tone. Len felt his heart beat fastened as he looked at her eyes. He felt happy hearing her words.

"R-Rin..."

"I feel a connection. Like he's a part of me. His words somehow lifted my spirits," she continued as she kept on looking at Len directly.

Gumi's shoulders dropped. Then she glared furiously at Len. "I hate you," she hissed at him. The boy gulped, seeing Gumi's hateful eyes. "Because of you... UGH! If anything bad happens to her because of you, then I will personally throw you below the 1st floor!" she screamed at him.

"Below the 1st floor?" Len stepped back unknowingly.

"H-Hey, calm down you two. I don't want blood spilling in my floor," Akaito stepped in between the two. "I don't know about who you really are, but try not to be the cause of these two's argument, okay?" he looked at Rin.

"Akaito..." Rin smiled. "You still haven't changed," she said knowingly.

The red-haired boy stared at her questioningly. She looked like she was really fond of him. And how the hell did she even know his name?! He doesn't remember ever meeting her before.

"Have we met before?" he asked.

Rin smiled fondly. "No."

To be continued.

* * *

><p>AN: HIIIIII I'M BACK! I know I said that I would update this by February of March... hehehehe sorry about that xD Let's just pretend that today is February xD I just realized, it's August already. Time flies when you're not doing anything /shot/

Anyway, I planned making a cliffhanger in this chapter. I planned to stop this chapter at the part where Len thought that Mikuo was the one who stepped on his back, so that it would leave the readers wondering how could there be 3 Mikuos at one time. But I figured I owe you guys a longer chapter. So now, I will leave you wondering how could there be 2 Mikuos in the real world xD I'm dying to know what you think about this chapter! Please tell me because I love reading my readers' guesses on the mysteries I write here.

Let me help you with it by asking questions. Why the hell are there 2 Mikuos in the real world (I think the answer here is pretty obvious)? What is Rin and Gumi talking about? Who is Rin? What are the fragments Gumi and Rin mentioned earlier? And just what is Len's purpose in that world?! Tell me your speculations and guesses, please~ Who knows? Maybe some of you will get it right xD

Thank you for those who read this story and the ones that left a review last time! Highly, appreciated! I will appreciate your reviews for this chapter, too! Apologies for the grammar mistakes (I'm an expert at that). Feel free to point it all out, because I want to improve. Feel free to throw tomatoes at me too, because of my late update *gets hit with a tomato* Okay, guess we're good ^^


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